Regulator for dynamo-electric machines



' NOMOaeL C. J. VAN DEPOELE.

REGULATOR FOR DYNA-M0 ELECTRIC MACHINES.

No. 291,554. Patented Jan.8,1884.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OF CHICAGO, ILL SOIS.

REGULATOR FOR DYNAlVlO-ELECTRZC MACE-ll SPECIFZOATIGN forming part of Letters latent No. 291,554, dated January 8, 1884.

Application filed September 10, 1883. (N0 model.)

.To aZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAX Dn- POELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dynamo-Electric Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in dynamo-electric machines; and it consists, especially, in a device operated directly by the fieldunagnets, which device is to adjust the position of the brushes upon the commutator of such machines to such place as will correspond to the work the machine is called to do.

The following is a specification of my invention, describing the same with reference to the annexed drawings.

Figure l is a front elevation of a dynamoelectric machine having my improved regulator attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fi s. 3 and 4 are end views taken from opposite directions, showing only the regulating mechanism and adjacent positions of the machine.

Similar letters denote like parts.

M represents a dynamo-electric machine to which the device is applied.

A is a drum, capable of moving or oscillating around and concentrically with the corn mutator of said dynamo. Said drum is prop erly fitted to the face-plate F, in which it moves freely. The drum A carries on one side a brush-holder, a, provided with a brush, a, bearing upon the commutator of the machine.

F is a face-plate, of brass or other suitable material, to which are fixed two brushes, bearing also upon the commutator of the machine, and from which the main current is taken. Said bruslrholders are properly insulated from said faceplate F. F can also move around the commutator independent from the drum A and brush a carried thereby, and is further provided with a slot, f, and lock-nut, by means of which the main brushes can be placed and kept in a position corresponding to the maximum of work the machine has to do, so that the only brush to be moved automatically will be the third or extra brush attached to the drum A. The third brush is connected and operated as described in a separate application filed June 18, 1883, Serial No. 98,524.

B is a fiat bar of iron, pivoted at its center and carried by an arm, D, and is placed in close proximity to one of the field-coils of the dynamo. It is the action of the field-eoil of the machine upon the iron bar 13 which produces the automatic displacement of the brushes.

To the spindle or shaft in B is fixed a pulley, E, and a toothed sector, C. The pulley E is connected by means of a belt or cord to the drum A, which receives thus its motion.

C is a toothed sector, meshing with a rack on the side of the rod It. Said rod is attached at one end to a piston, p, working in a dashpot, P.

are weights intended to counteract the power in B.

D is an arm secured to one end of the fieldmagnets, and provided at the free end with a hub or bearing, in which the shaftof B oscillates.

Having described the different parts of my device I will now proceed to explain its opera tion.

It is a well-known fact that a bar of iron placed parallel with the coils of an electromagnet will, as soon as a current is circulating therethrough, place itself at right angles with the coils of said electro-magnet or parallel with its core. The power with which the bar is acted upon will depend upon the strength of the current. In this case the iron core of the field-magnet is magnetized to a certain degree, and acts in conjunction with its coils with more or less power upon the oscillating bar B, so whenever a lamp or several are cut out of circuit the surplus current in the armature will magnetizc the fields correspondingly, and tend more and more to place the bar B parallel with the core of the iield-magnet under the intlucnce of which the bar 13 is placed, so that as soon as the balance between the counteracting weights on one side and the attract ive power of the bar 13 on the other side is disturbed by an increase of power in the fieldinagnets the bar B will actuate the brush-carrying drum A and move the brush or brushes until a balance exists again, when 13 will be- 2 eenase come stationary. The reverse will take place as soon as some previously cut-out lamps are placed in circuit again.

The power of the bar R is regulated by the weights WV, carried by rod B, which is actuated by toothed sector 0. In order to prevent too sudden a motion of the bar B, the rod R is provided with a piston or plunger working up and down in the dash pot P, which is filled with oil or other similar fluid.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a dynamo using three brushes around its commutatorsuch as described in a separate application herein referred to. By simply moving the third brush closer to or farther from the top brush more or less current is made to circulate through the coils of its field-magnets, and so can the power in the dynamo be regulated with perfect case. As here shown this is accomplished by the bar 13 actuating the third brush. As soon as any lamps are cut out of circuit the current in the armature rises, and the fields are excited correspondingly. The reverse will happen whenever the current is weakened to a certain point. The same device may be attached, however, to a dynamo having only its two main brushes as usual, in which case both brushes are displaced at the same time. I do not limit myself to any particular style of brush-holders or intervening mechanism, since these details can be varied ad infinitum.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dynamo-electric machine, an iron bar, B, centrally pivoted and adapted to oscillate parallel with one of the cores of and placed under the influence of the field-magnets of such machine, in combination with a brushholding device, both mechanically connected to one another, so that one may follow the motion of the other, and suitable means for regulating and controlling the movements of the bar B, substantially as described.

2. In a dynamoelectric machine, the combination, with a magnetic bar pivoted in proximity to one of the field-magnet coils, of a commutator brush-holding device mechanically connected thereto, and an adjustable weight for controlling the movements of the pivoted bar and commutator-brushes, as set forth.

3. I11 a dynamo-electric machine, the combination, with a magnetic bar pivoted in proximity to one of the field-magnet coils, of a movable commutator-brush holder mechanically connected thereto, and a dash-pot having its piston also connected to said pivoted bar, substantially as described.

4. In a dynamo-electric machine, the combination, with pivoted bar 13, toothed sector 0, rod R, provided with a rack meshing with the sector 0, and also with the adjustable weights IV, and pistonp, of the dash-pot I, movable brush-holder A, and connections between said pivoted bar and brush-holder, whereby the position of the brushes shall at all times be made to correspond to that of the pivoted bar, as set forth.

CHARLES J.

VAN DEPOELE. 

